Smoke and Mirrors
by Satanic Mechanic
Summary: Blue sets out to find magic. Lute just needs to find a job. What happens when they find each other?
1. Blue's Quest

Hi guys, I'm back with another SF story. I deleted my older one entitled 'Blind Game' because it was never going to be finished and I didn't like just leaving it there (especially when it needed so much editing). So it's time to start fresh!

I'd also like to note that I choose this pairing because of the wonderful story 'Sick Cycle Carousel', which can be found on my favorites list. Also, Jetice has a lot of great stories, featuring the boys, so check those out, too.

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

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Three sharp knocks echoed down the halls of the esteemed Magic Academy. The normally bustling school was quiet this time of the day, but there were still some devoted students lingering in the halls. Blue ignored their quizzical looks as they passed by him, he was more than used to being gawked at by now.

He tried knocking again. "Master, it's Blue."

"…Please come in," answered a strong, solemn voice. Before him, the ancient brass doors creaked open, and Blue stepped into the schoolmaster's study. The older magician smiled faintly as his most prized student stood before him. Blue could just barely make out the wrinkles that were starting to form on the man's face, mostly at the corner of his eyes and mouth. The once glistening raven hair that memorized Blue when he was a child, was now dull and mostly gray. His trademark ghostly smile still remained the same, however.

"Good evening, Master. I have come to pay my respects before I depart," Blue spoke on bended knee. The older man nodded and motioned for him to stand. He was nursing some sort of pipe and it was very fragrant.

"Has everything been explained to you?" Blue nodded, not meeting his master's eyes. Another puff of smoke, and that faint smile had disappeared. "This is a very heavy burden for you."

"I understand. This is the only way," Blue spoke, although it wasn't entirely the truth. He had been prepared for many trails to receive the title of Master Magician, but he didn't completely understand why he had to kill his brother. Had he not done enough to prove his superiority already? Nevertheless, he would spend no more time questioning it. This path had been chosen by wiser men than him.

"Blue," there was something strange in his master's voice, something Blue had never heard before. He chanced a look up at his superior's face. His eyes looked soft. "You are the youngest to ever receive this title. As was I, back in my time. You are expected to follow in my footsteps."

"And I am honored," Blue stared, but his elder wasn't finished.

"Are you willing to do anything to protect your kingdom?"

"Yes," his master smiled, though he didn't seem quite as pleased at this response as Blue had expected.

"Yes…yes, of course," the man's eyes were looking strange again, he looked almost troubled. "In order to achieve the power you want, you are going to have to sacrifice much. I will give you one last bit of advice before you leave," he tapped some ash out of his pipe and Blue waited patiently for him to speak again.

"Try not to sacrifice too much of yourself in the process, or you might end up a hollowed old man with nothing but smoke to keep him company," were his words.

"Sir…I'm not sure I follow," Blue spoke awkwardly, but he didn't receive any explanation, that eerie smile was the only thing that answered him.

Once he was dismissed from his Master's chambers, the young magician left the academy without a word to anyone else. As he opened up the region map in his mind, he was distracted as he replayed their conversation. His master was always a complicated man, but so very powerful, and he admired him a great deal. They were pretty close, at least, as far as student/teacher relations go. Though he never could bring himself to ask why that trademark smile never seemed to reach the man's eyes.

Shaking head, Blue opened up his region map. He couldn't afford to dwell on such things, Rouge had probably already left town by now. Fixing his mind on Devin, a bright light surrounded him, and in a flash, he was gone.

* * *

Next chapter will be ready soon, sorry this one is so short. It just felt like a good place to stop. 


	2. Lute's Quest

Second chapter, very late. Luckily I don't have any readers yet, so...no harm done!

* * *

"Lute! Hurry up!"

"I know, Ma!" Lute rolled his eyes. Couldn't a guy get 15 minutes of peace in order to pack up his stuff? Well, to be fair, the woman did give him a few days notice before kicking him out of the house, but he had other things to worry about and kind of forgot. He couldn't remember what that stuff was now, but he was betting it was probably worthwhile.

Uh, what was he doing again?

"Luuuute!!"

Oh yeah, packing. Lute nodded his head and resumed his task. He wasn't going to be able to carry much besides a few changes of clothes, but he managed to fit a small journal and some maps in with everything.

Surveying the room one last time, Lute sighed. He was leaving behind a lot of memories, but it was time. His gaze strayed to a solitary rifle that was hanging on the wall. It belonged to his father, a man Lute could barely remember, but he doubted he would even know how to use it if he had to.

Shaking his head, Lute decided that he was finished packing and he wouldn't be taking a weapon with him. Needless violence was exactly what had gotten his dad killed, and he wasn't about to carry on the family tradition. Besides, he wasn't that scared. He'd always been a laid back kind of guy. It was unlikely that he would have much need much self-defense.

After one last lecture from Ma, Lute left his childhood home in search of a job.

* * *

Blue sneezed as he got off the cramped airship. He had never been to this region before, so he would not have been able to teleport safely. Luckily Devin had a small charter that made regular stops here. The town was very hot and dry, and there seemed to sand and dust everywhere. Already Blue wanted to leave.

"Could the grail card really be here? I hope that fortune teller didn't lie to me."

He fought the urge to sneeze again as he took in his surroundings. So far the place seemed pretty deserted. And old factory caught his attention and he studied at he continued walking towards what he hoped was civilization. Suddenly, he felt something solid crash into him and was sent tumbling to the ground before he could defend himself.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry!" an alarmed voice called out. Once his vision stopped spinning, Blue was able to identify the object he had crashed into as human.

"You should watch where you're going," he snapped, even though he wouldn't admit that he hadn't been paying much attention either.

"You alright?" the voice asked and Blue nodded his head. "That's good to hear. You took quite a fall there!" Blue's eyes narrowed at the casual remark. To think that a yokel such as this could actually catch him off guard was not pleasing. He was young, about Blue's age, and he appeared to be a local if the colorful clothing and healthy tan was any indication "Hey, my name is Lute. If you need anything while you're in town I'd be glad to-

"Could you direct me to the Grail Card?" Lute blinked as he was rather rudely cut off. This guy seemed like he was all business.

"If you're talking about the Arcane legends…" Lute trailed off, scratching his head as he tried to remember. What a weird request.

"Yes?"

"No one knows for sure what's there, but they say the swamp to the east has a magical aura around it."

"Thank you. That will be all." Apparently the outsider heard what he needed to, because he took off without another glance at the dumbfound musician.

"Wait! You shouldn't go alone, that place is infested with monsters!" Lute called after the retreating from but it was quickly swallowed up by an afternoon sand storm. "Aaaand, you're not even heading the right way! Those are the breweries!" he yelled again even though he knew that the mysterious stranger wouldn't be able to hear him by now.

"Oh well, I tried to warn him." Lute shrugged and turned towards the port.

It was then that he noticed something peculiar at his feet. It was a small dagger sheathed in what appeared to be ivory and encrusted with numerous jewels that Lute couldn't identify. He was smart enough to know that it looked very expensive, and that's all that counted.

"That guy must have dropped this…" he commented to no one in particular.

"All aboard!!" Lute jumped as the steam from the engines piped up. It was his last chance to get on a ship today, and Ma would kill him if he weren't gone very soon. Chewing his lip guiltily, Lute tucked the dagger away and, after some arguing, boarded a ship. He would just have to keep the thing safe for now. They say it's a small world; maybe he would 'bump' into that irritable stranger again.

Lute chuckled at his, admittedly, corny pun and closed up the journal he had been writing in. Next stop was Manhattan.


	3. Riki's Quest

This chapter dedicated to Jetice and akikos-wok for writing the reviews that made me get off my lazy ass and update! Next chapter is almost done, too, and it's pretty long! For once I'm actually in a writing mood, so I better take advantage! Thanks again guys, and enjoy. I'm so grateful to actually have readers now XD

* * *

Blue stepped into the swamp a few hours later. The dank smell of the place was unmistakable, lingering in the moist air and clinging to him unpleasantly. He surveyed the area slowly, for his swimming head didn't allow him to do it much faster without risk of passing out. Exactly what had those people in the wine cellars been feeding him? The anxious magician didn't think much of it as he forced swallow after swallow of the noxious liquid down his throat only to be disappointed every time as each of the brewers informed him the next cellar held more valuable information. Pfft, what a joke. It seemed like they were just toying with him.

Upon retrospect the solitary figure in the swamp began cursing himself for being so careless. He could not walk a straight line after ingesting so much alcohol, and he let out another colorful curse that, normally, wouldn't be permitted out of his dignified mouth as he stepped into another deep puddle of muck.

He took a few more steps inside and couldn't fight the sinking feeling that the boy he had met earlier had been right; this place was dangerous. The earthly, moldy smell of the place was underlined with something else, something Blue couldn't quite place, but his paranoid mind was beginning to think it could be nothing other than the stench of death.

Had it been unwise not to recruit some help before taking on this first challenge? Had Rouge already found an assortment of people willing to aid him in his quest? Were they now laughing amiably together as his brother slipped a few more enchanted runes in his pocket?

Shaking his head angrily at himself, Blue willed the wild thoughts out of his head. For Goddess' sake, he was a powerful magician after all! He could make an object, or perhaps a very unlucky person, implode with just a fleeting thought! The elders would not have sent him on this mission if they had not thought him worthy, and here he was getting all worked up over a big, bad, scary swamp.

He snorted bitterly to himself, thinking how ridiculous his previous thoughts had been. Rouge might be content with relying on the help of others to acquire his magic, but if he thought that any of them were going to help when they met for their final duel, he was a bigger fool that Blue had imagined. In the end, this was going to be a one-on-one battle, and whoever had managed to be the most independently strong would surely be the victor.

Nodding his head resolutely at this thought, Blue set out into the depths of the swamp without another look back. So lost in his own self-reassurances and the still cloudy haze of drunkenness, he almost didn't notice the beady eyes blinking at him through the fog.

* * *

Far away, in another Region altogether, Lute was having his own problems.

"Duck! GET OUT OF THE WAY YOU IDOIT!" a deep voice shouted, but Lute was too flustered to really listen. Before he knew it a solid body connected with his, knocking him on his ass to the ground. He looked up to see a shadowed figure over him whom had blocked what he assumed would have been a near fatal blow from one of the 4 meca advancing upon them.

"Th-thanks," he managed to stutter out, getting to his feet.

"No time for that! Just keep out of the way if you're not going to fight, would'ya?" The older man growled as he deftly deflected some bullets with his broadsword. Lute nodded dumbly at the warning and watched with some amazement as the man sent one of the tractors crumpling to the ground and the thing crackled and shuddered with electricity. For being such an obvious drunk, Gen sure seemed nothing less than a seasoned warrior since they had entered the factory.

"Lute! Are you alright?" A furry figure bounded into his line of vision. His face was bright and cheery even in the midst of battle, though it was tinged just slightly with worry now.

"Yeah. Fine. Thanks," he assured, his franticly beating heart slowly making it's way down from his throat. That was until he noticed something over Riki's shoulder. "Riki, look out!" The monster didn't even look as he flicked the offending mec away with a well-placed swipe of his monstrous tail. Lute sighed in relief, and slightly out of embarrassment as he realized that even this little monster seemed to be more suited to battle than he. How the hell he decided to join the little guy and find himself in the middle of Cabrello's factory fighting for his life, he still didn't know. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

"Come on, there's only two left!" Riki cried happily and pulled his new musician friend towards it by the arm. The monster immediately went into action, dancing around the heavily armed mec as he dodged is attacks and landed occasional swipes with his tail.

His efforts, however, seemed to be in vain. The monster's blows weren't doing much good against the hard, metallic frame and the mec flicked away this annoyance with one of it's mechanical arms easily.

Lute shouted something unintelligible as he watched his friend tumble to the dusty ground, not getting up. The mec was advancing toward the lifeless form and Lute, feeling a sudden braveness rise in him that he hadn't felt before, jumped between them thoughtlessly.

"KID!" Gen shouted. He was busy holding back the other remaining mec single handedly, but he watched in horror as the 5th member of their party, and probably the most useless one, decided to become a human shield. "ARE YOU CRAZY?"

But Lute barely heard him and was now shaking with fear. He stood stock still, his arms stretched to the sides in a hopeless attempt to protect his fallen leader. The apparent leader of the meca team now seemed to have it's sensors locked on the musician and Lute watched, almost feeling like it was happening in slow motion, as the thing lurched menacingly towards him.

Finally, and with just a second to spare before a heavy metal arm crushed him, Lute's frozen limbs decided to cooperate and he threw his arms up over his head. Metal collided with metal and Lute used all his strength just to hold up his dagger, which was grinding and digging deep gouges into the mec's arm as he tired to hold it back. The mec withdrew and went to attack again when Lute viciously dug the dagger across the thing's metal hide.

The unexpected attack sent the large mec stumbling back, seemingly stunned. Lute looked with amazement at the large gash his dagger had created on the thing, and then back down at the aforementioned weapon. It was the jewel encrusted one that stranger had dropped on his way into Yorkland. It was the first thing Lute thought to grab and it was apparently a lot sharper than it looked.

"Nice one boy!" exclaimed the only female member of the group, Mei-ling.

"I keep telling you my name is Lute," the musician muttered, but she had already forgotten about him, her face now bearing the concentrated look of someone conjuring magic. Gen, who had already dispatched his own mec, now took the opportunity to go on the offensive with their remaining enemy.

"Riki! Riki, are you alright?" Lute kneeled over the form of his fallen friend, shaking a furry shoulder lightly.

"I…uh, wha?" the dog-boy blinked up blearily, slowly coming to his senses. Lute smiled in relief as the monster slowly made it's way to his feet. "Yeah. I'm alright. You…" a look of realization came across Riki's face, "you saved me!"

"Naw, it was nothing…" Lute blushed slightly and nearly toppled over as the monster launched himself unexpectedly, wrapping his arms around Lute's neck in a tight embrace.

"Thank you! Thank you!" the monster exclaimed, hugging the wind out of his stunned savoir.

"I said it was nothing," Lute gasped, pushing the ecstatic lummox off him gently. He didn't feel like he had deserved so much praise, all he did was get lucky. He glanced down at the dagger again, knowing that it was their real savoir. It was beautifully shining up at him, humming in his hand with what Lute suspected had to be some soft of magical energy. Whatever it was, it had just saved his and Riki's life that was for sure.

Lute smiled gratefully at it, at least, as gratefully someone could smile at an inanimate object. His expression deflated quickly, however, as he noticed something. There was a large crack forming on the blade, one that he was sure hadn't been there before, and the weapon looked like it might split apart any second. Great. He had broken the thing. Not that he was getting his hopes up too much about getting the chance to return it, but he sighed guiltily nonetheless. Leave it to his clumsy self to destroy such a fine piece of craftsmanship.

"Got him!" Mei-ling shouted delightfully, snapping Lute out of his thoughts. He had almost forgotten there was a battle going on around him. Or rather, there had been. It seemed the last of their foes had fallen, looking like it had just been singed to a crisp. "Thank god for Light Magic! Now, let's go find that scum Cabrello…"


	4. Is it fate?

Hello faithful readers! I got a review so I'm back with another chapter (I think you all can see how this works now XP). This one is much longer than the others, and I'm still not sure if I'm happy with it but I think it's necessary. Next chapter will get more interesting since our boys will finally get forced into traveling together!

* * *

Blue stood atop a jagged stone pillar, staring back at his reflection with contempt. But it wasn't a reflection, was it? His twin-brother's lips curved up into a small, infuriating smirk.

"Look at you, already defeated, you can barely stand up straight," Rouge's characteristically rude voice echoed around him, making Blue's blood boil. "You're hopeless. How can you possibly hope to defeat me when you've already failed your first task?"

Blue was confused for a moment as he considered his brother's words. What was he talking about? Suddenly, the background started spinning around him, his head was pounding, and then, bright light blinded him.

He let out a low moan of pain and shifted on what felt like a soft bed. It had only been a dream, but Rouge's words still lingered meaningfully in his head. The last thing he could remember before falling unconscious was being in the swamp…

He let out another loud groan of pain as he attempted to move. Where the hell was he anyway? Slowly, wincing at the brightness, Blue managed to open his eyes.

He didn't recognize the place, but it appeared to be a small, well-kept bedroom. There was a large window by his bed and the strong afternoon sun was illuminating the space abundantly.

Everything ached, he was too afraid to look down at himself, but Blue was sure he had to be severely injured. Now, if only he could remember just _how_ that happened and figure out just where the _hell_ he was, he'd feel much better.

A short, plump old woman chose that moment to creep through the bedroom door. She caught Blue feebly attempting to get out of bed and rushed over to him quickly.

"No, no! Don't you even think of getting up right now, you dolt," she screeched and did her best to settle him back in. "Your wounds are no where near healed and they probably won't be for awhile!"

Blue, who was a bit surprised by the woman's appearance, and whose head was still pounding like it was going to crack in two, climbed back into bed obediently. He realized that this woman must have been caring for him while he'd been out, however long that had been…and he was grateful, but he couldn't help a feeling of growing agitation welling up inside him.

"Where am I?"

"The Millionaire's Mansion in Yorkland. Huh, you really can't remember a thing, can you? I guess it's no wonder, considering the state we found you in…" she trailed off and scuttled over to a dresser, poking around at the objects strewn all over it. Looked like various first aid items. "Honestly, going off into the swamp all alone? Must be some kind of mad man…" she muttered, mostly to herself, but Blue didn't miss it.

Suddenly, it was all coming back to him; the swamp, the idiots who had gotten him drunk, and his clumsy trek through the place. He had taken out a few weak monsters along the way, even in his inebriated state. He had been so close…so close to the shrine the locals had told him about until he was constricted by something strong and clammy wrapping around his leg.

Turning sharply, he only had a moment to feel terrified before the giant squid towering above him constricted its tentacle and gave him a yank. Blue swore as he was dragged across the wet ground, trying to recite an incantation but the occasional mouthful of water or painful tug on his leg broke his concentration.

Twisting within the monster's grip and panicking slightly, Blue groped for what should have been tied carefully at his waist, hoping he could cut the tentacle loose from his leg and then find a more suitable spot to blast the damned thing into inky pieces.

The giant squid was growing impatient with his dinner's struggles and began playing with his food. Blue grunted as he was slammed upon the ground several rough times, and then prodded nastily by more slimy tentacles. His strength was draining quickly, he was sure to lose consciousness soon, which was probably what the beast wanted, and the moments within the Kraken's death grip seemed to stretch on forever as they both waited it out.

Coughing up blood and shaking mud and grit from his eyes, Blue desperately resumed his search. It was possibly his only hope for survival, but his heart sank just a few moments later when he realized it was futile.

His last hope of defense, his most prized dagger, was not found. Blue once again looked up at the giant squid and glared at the thing, hoping with some foolish longing that his nasty look might save him from being devoured. The beast didn't seemed to be as fazed as most people would and instead lifted his prize in the air, opening his large, beak-like mouth in anticipation. That was the last thing Blue remembered before everything went black.

"How…how did you find me?" he asked after a long silence, still shocked by what he remembered.

"Oh, I didn't. A few men working the breweries did. Luckily, as nasty as those monsters can be, most of them are scared off by flares, so they managed to save you before you could be eaten. You should be grateful, it's very dangerous to light explosives around here, we—

"Grateful?" Blue snapped, suddenly feeling very angry. Yeah, those nameless men might have saved his life, but they were also the same morons who lead him on a wild-goose chase that made it almost impossible to navigate the swamp due to his damned drunkenness.

"Where do you think you're going?" the woman blurted out as her patient struggled to get out of bed again.

"Back to the swamp. We have unfinished business," Blue stated harshly, thinking of the Grail Card.

"Are you crazy? You're in no fit state. I've already used up most of my supplies bandaging you up! And do you have any idea how difficult it's been for me to hide you here when my Master has a sick child to worry about?"

"Well, you can relax now. I'm getting out of here."

Getting to his feet and feeling quite proud of himself, the injured man pushed past the frantic woman. Just before he had reached the door he stopped and swayed on the spot. An unexpected wave of vertigo overcame him and he felt bile rise in his throat. Through the dizzy haze, a pair of hands griped him and guided him back to bed before he could collapse.

Shaking, looking furious and feeling quite defeated, Blue accepted the stranger's bed once more and allowed her to tuck him back in. There was no way he was leaving this room for a while, it appeared.

He would not apologize or thank her as she went about re-dressing some of his wounds. In truth, he was angrier with himself than anything but taking it out on the nearest unfortunate person was the only way he could think to deal with it. The truth of the matter was equally crippling as his flesh wounds; he had failed. Horribly failed already and this was just the beginning.

* * *

Letting his eyes clench shut, the battered magician couldn't help but wonder if his elders had made a mistake, but the thought vanished as sleep clamed him once more.

"What are we doing here?" Lute asked curiously, surprised to find himself back in his hometown so soon, as he watched the windmill churn about lazily. The group had been celebrating their victory over Cabrello but had left Scrap after a few days of rest and planning. They had to work faster if they were going to save Margmel.

"The Millionaire here is supposed to have a ring," answered Mei-ling. "Don't you ever pay attention?" She huffed, and Lute thought she sounded very much like his mother at the moment.

"Eh, don't listen to her," Lute felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and looked over it to see Gen giving him a reassuring grin. The two of them had been getting along a lot better, and Gen was even nice enough to teach Lute a thing or two about how to handle a sword, at least, when they weren't busy trying to drink each other under the table. "I'll be expecting you to give us a nice tour of the place. And by us, I mean me. And by place, I mean the sake."

"Oh no you don't, we're taking care of that ring first. Come on! Let's get moving. Riki!" she called to their furry friend, who was staring at a horse in fascination, and the group went along their merry way.

The Millionaire's mansion was not hard to spot. It towered over the other, more modest looking homes of the town. Lute was careful to direct them to it without getting too close to his own home, for fear that Ma might smell him coming.

Inside the mansion, the unnerving sight of a man being thrown down the stairs by some invisible force greeted them. He got up and hurriedly scurried past them. Shortly after, a very nervous, regally dressed man came down the stairs to greet them.

"Hi Mister!" Riki, seemingly unaffected by what had just transpired, beamed up at the man.

"Oh please, please tell me you are here to see my daughter. I've tried every doctor I can find, I'm willing to try anything at this point…" he whispered franticly, looking the group up and down quickly.

"We've heard and we brought someone who could be able to help. May we see your daughter?" Mei-ling finally decided to ask, a bit of concern in her voice.

"She's horribly ill. Nothing is working…oh god," the man broke off, shuddering at the horrid sounds coming from his daughter's bedroom and looking like he was about to cry.

"Calm down, let us have a look at her. I'm sure we can figure something out," said Mei-ling, with her usual confidence, but Lute could tell she was hiding just a little fear. From the sound of it, this couldn't be a regular illness.

As the group was herded up the stairs, Lute strayed from the pack, hearing another disturbance in the house. It sounded like it was coming from downstairs this time. There were loud voices, and he thought for some reason that he found one of them very familiar.

He glanced back up the staircase and watched Mei-ling, Gen, Riki, the robot he always forgot was there, and the doctor they had brought, being lead into the little girl's bedroom. Deciding that they'd hardly notice he was gone, Lute's curiosity got the best of him and he followed the sound of voices.

He turned a few corners into a hallway and saw a woman, looking quite put out, bolt out of one of it's doors before slamming it behind herself.

From behind the door the woman was leaning against Lute could hear one of the voices again, "…and how many times do I have to tell you that I'm well enough! How long do you plan to keep me locked up in this boondocks _hell_?" shouted the angry voice.

"Excuse me," Lute said meekly, letting the frustrated looking woman know he was there. She jumped a bit but seemed to recognize the boy in front of her. Lute recognized her too; she was a maid and he thought her name was Susan or Susie.

"What on earth are you doing here?" she asked, but seemed a bit relived to have some better company.

"I heard yelling. What's going on in there? Is that guy all right? Can I see him?"

"No, he's not well at all. You should probably leave him alone. I won't even ask how you got in here," she grumbled, giving him a sideways glance.

"Yeah, but…uh, I think he might be a friend of mine," Lute lied. That voice sounded really familiar, so it might even be the truth, but he had to find out.

"A friend? Oh, well that could explain a lot. I'm familiar with the kind of punks you tend to keep company with," she shook her head but moved out of the way. "Go on in. But be careful, he might bite your head off."

"Finally!" a voice sighed out as Lute entered the room. "Can I have my clothes back now? I'm hoping to leave sometime today," the man in the bed growled out. It seemed like he was exercising some restraint, though, since he wasn't yelling like he had before.

"Um…sorry, but I don't have your clothes," Lute awkwardly answered the bizarre question. He crept closer to the bed in order to get a better look at the young man who was lying in it. He was pale and had long hair about the same color splayed all over the sheets. His sharp blue eyes widened as Lute approached, clearly not expecting a visitor. Lute recognized him now. It was a little difficult at first, since he wasn't wearing the same exotic clothing he had the day they met, but Lute knew it was the man he had seen at the port just a few days ago.

"My name is Lute," the country boy spoke and sat down on a chair that was close to the sick man's bed. "I think we've already met. Do you remember?"

Blue's vision was still blurry but he could make out a shock of blue hair and that wasn't a very common feature. He couldn't suppress a sneer as the guy pulled up a chair next to him, as if they were suddenly great friends, and watched him like he was some sort of interesting television program. "Yes, I remember. You crashed into me."

"Yeah," the intruder said, his voice slightly guilty. He studied the man on the bed for a few more moments, noticing with a grim expression how awful he looked. Nothing at all like the proud man he had bumped into recently. He looked so fragile.

"What do you want?" the pale one asked irritably and pulled the covers over himself a bit tighter. Lute flushed a bit as he realized how intently he had been staring at the naked man and how weird that must have seemed.

"What's your name, anyway?"

"God, you are just as useless as everyone else around here," the magician snorted and turned away to gaze out the window. Then an idea came to him. "If you could help me get out of here I might tell you."

"Tell me your name first, then we'll talk." Blue was a bit taken back by the stubbornness in the stranger's voice. He was almost a little impressed. Most people knew better than to mess with him when he was in a bad mood. He turned towards the offending idiot and expected to see a haughty expression on his face, but he was met with only a bright and friendly smile. Blue averted his gaze quickly, not sure how to deal with this sort of strange behavior.

"Fine. My name is Blue, of the Magic Kingdom. If you could possibly get my clothes and a competent healer, you'll be greatly rewarded," he said, almost robotically, and did not turn to meet Lute's eyes.

"Okay."

The stranger was gone after that. Blue was left feeling slightly confused and even a bit disappointed. Turing on his side, the magician hissed again at the pain that was surely that of broken ribs trying to heal. He didn't expect that airy headed moron to come back. Who would? It wasn't his problem. Probably just stopped by to watch him suffer.

Lute walked back into the towards the entrance hall. He felt giddy and excited all of a sudden for no reason, like there was a mystery he was trying to solve and he had just found another clue. He honestly hadn't been expecting to run into Blue again when he wrote that journal entry, but it must mean something. It was kind of refreshing that the world might really be a small place after all.

And was he really from the Magic Kingdom? Lute didn't know much about the place, but he always regarded it with some sense of wonder. It residents were known for their pride and almost elitist view, so it was no wonder it wasn't tourist spot. Most people only passed through if they were studying magic, and even then they weren't tolerated for long. Still, Lute always thought it would be cool to check it out, since it was so unknown.

He noticed a few people chatting near the second floor landing. Mei-ling was talking eagerly to the darkly stoic man Lute recognized as the shady doctor they had picked up in Koorang.

"…and I'd really like to know more about that magic you used against the demon. It couldn't be Mystic, could it?" Lute caught the end of her excited ramble. It seemed she was quite pleased to have someone with the same level of magical intelligence as her, or Lute thought humorously, with the same level of intelligence in general compared to the group of misfits she was currently traveling with. He had to admit he was just a bit jealous to see her fawning all over the new guy, but it wasn't as if he'd ever had a chance with little miss wonderful, anyway.

"Hey," Mei-ling frowned at the person who had just interrupted her conversation, which Lute thought, was starting to look extremely one-sided. Nusakan continued to study a far-off wall with indifference.

"What? Oh, it's you! Lute, we were looking all over, we thought maybe you had been swallowed by that ghost or something," she admitted, looking only slightly like that might have been preferable to her. "Where have you been?"

"Sorry, I got distracted. Didn't think you would have needed my help much anyway," Lute confessed. Nusakan turned to him now as if just noticing his existence, taking in Lute's appearance with some foggy interest. The musician fingered some bangles on his wrist nervously and turned away from Nusakan, who was watching him fidget with something that almost looked like amusement on his face. This guy was just way too creepy. "Anyway, how'd it go?"

Mei-ling smiled a bit proudly, her recent disappointment in Lute vanishing as she explained. "We've got the Merchant ring! It wasn't very challenging at all, turns out, and we've even got some reward money from the girl's father. The good Doctor here was a huge help of course." Nusakan turned towards the woman whom he had previously not been paying much attention to and raised a wry eyebrow. His almost deathly pale face looked vaguely surprised. Probably at being called 'Good Doctor', which Lute could agree with, if that were the case.

"That's great!"

"What about you? What have you been up to?" the woman asked suspiciously. Lute found himself fidgeting again as he averted her gaze.

"Well, I was…um, actually I'm glad I've run into you," he turned towards Nusakan again, regretting having to do so. "There's a guy in one of the maid's rooms here who's in really in bad shape. Do you think there is anything you can do?"

"What kind of condition is he in?" the Doctor asked, sounding bored to death already.

"He's gotten roughed up pretty badly by some monsters, he's—

"Sorry," the sinister looking man cut him off, "I'm not particularly interested in flesh wounds. Now if he had some sort of flesh eating _disease_…I might be more tempted."

"What?" Lute snapped, finding himself growing angry. He rarely got angry. "But you're a doctor, can't you help?"

"The diagnosis is boring. Attacked by a Kraken, I presume?" he caught the look of affirmation from Lute and sighed. "Honestly, why can't people learn to get injured in more interesting ways these days…" he trailed off and began stalking away from the pair.

"Where are you going?" Lute and Mei-ling called out in unison, though for entirely different reasons.

"I believe my work is done here. Good day," Nusakan said faintly and was out the door.

Mei-ling sighed as she watched a presumably decent love-interest walk out the door. Lute looked furious.

"Can you believe him? He doesn't deserve to be called a doctor. He's only interested in himself, not actually healing people." Mei-ling sighed again at the outburst, realizing that Lute was right and it was probably for the best that the man had disappeared so soon.

"Well, I guess it's up to me now," she said to Lute, who was now looking surprised and grateful. "Show me where this guy is."


	5. Grail Card at last

Well, it's another long chapter. Don't really have anything else to say except I hope there aren't a million errors. Jetice, this one is for you, keep on rockin'!

* * *

"Well, that ought to do it," Mei-ling finished the last of her healing spells and stood up straight to appraise her work. Blue sat up, delighted that it didn't cause him much pain, and gave the woman just a hint of a smile. "You should still take it easy, there might be some internal damage I missed, but you're almost as good as new."

"Thank you. I suppose that was Light Magic? You are quite skilled." Blue settled back into bed. He would have liked to get up and stretch or do a victory dance but seeing as how he was still lacking clothes he had to restrain himself.

Lute grinned as Mei-ling reddened. It was obvious that she wasn't missing Nusakan now that she had Blue complimenting her. "Of course she is. Why do you think I brought her here? I know she's saved my hide more times than I can count."

"Please boys, you'll give me a big head if you continue to flatter me like this," Mei-ling feigned modesty and batted her lashes. Lute couldn't help but smile at the color she was turning as she pretended she didn't like the attention. She looked damn cute when she was blushing.

Blue also looked about a million times better than when they had first walked in. Some of the beauty and dignity Lute remembered from their first meeting was returning to his delicate features, though he still looked pale as a sheet.

"Thank you too, Lute. To be honest I didn't expect you would return." Blue turned towards his helper, who was looking down at him with sleepy eyes from over Mei-ling's shoulder.

"Don't sweat it," Lute shrugged. He'd surprised himself, too. Blue hadn't been very nice, most people would have left him to rot, but Lute couldn't bring himself to leave anyone alone in that kind of pain. Fortunately, Blue's mood seemed to have improved since he was healed, so it all paid off in the end. "Consider it payback for me knocking into you the other day."

"Alright," Blue nodded his head, feeling grateful that Lute put it into words he could accept. It was bad enough for his pride that he had to have three strangers dote over him, so it was nice to think that one of them actually owed him it. He could hardly wait to get out of this meager country pit of a town; all he needed now was something to wear.

Almost as if on cue, the older woman who had been caring for him bustled into the room, holding a basket in her arms and looking mildly surprised. "Oh, another visitor?" She set down her burden and surveyed her grumpy houseguest. "Amazing. You look much healthier. Here, I've got your clothes laundered," she placed a bundle of fine-looking, predominantly blue clothing in his lap, and the magician accepted it gratefully.

Lute got the hint and went to exit the room and give Blue some privacy, but he had to grab an expectant Mei-ling by the arm to lead her out as well. After a few moments waiting outside the door, both of them jumped slightly as it opened to reveal a fully clothed Blue and his over-worked looking caretaker.

"Susan, I hope this will be enough to compensate your hospitality," the finely dressed man slipped something that looked like a full credit purse into the elderly woman's palm. Susan looked surprised but accept the gift with a smile and a nod. Mei-ling's eyes widened and her face lit up at the sight. This man was attractive, intelligent, _and _rich? She had hit the jackpot!

Lute was also curious about what kind of payment he might get. Blue did mention that he would be greatly rewarded, and while he normally wasn't hung up on materialistic things, it would be nice to give some money to Ma and effectively shut her up.

It seemed Blue was a man of his word as he turned towards the two of them and fetched two more pouches from his pocket.

"Please, you don't need to do that," Mei-ling held up her hand as the man attempted to hand her a jingling bag full of credits. "It's all in a days work," she beamed attractively and Blue let his arm drop to the side awkwardly, looking puzzled. "But if you really insist on thanking me, you could do it over dinner." She laughed at the strange look on his face and continued. "Of course, you won't find much high dining here, but if we hopped a ship to—

"I'm sorry, but I really don't have the time," Blue said blandly, but his apology sounded almost genuine. Lute watched the exchange and decided it was time to change the subject. Perhaps he could save Mei-ling some humiliation if he interrupted her rejection now, though why any sane man would turn down a date from the exotic beauty, he had no idea.

"Hey, I almost forgot!" the bard dug something out of his satchel and held it up to the other man. "You dropped this that day we met. I've been hanging onto it since then. It's really amazing that I happened to find you again, eh?" Lute smiled brightly and Blue's eyes widened as he took the object.

"This is…" he trailed off and turned the thing over in his hands. The pleasant and uncommon gratefulness he'd been feeling was rapidly being overtaken with rage. That was where his precious dagger had gone! This unworthy plebeian had it, the idiot had been carrying it with him as Blue struggled for his life. If only the dagger had still been on him when he fought with the Kraken, he'd surely have been victorious, it would have changed _everything_.

Said idiot seemed smart enough to take a few steps back, sensing the aura of rage surrounding the previously content magician. He stole a quick glance toward Mei-ling for help, but she seemed too confused to give it to him. The terrified musician gulped as he realized he had backed himself up against a wall. If Blue was angry now, what was he going to do when he realized Lute had managed to break the thing as well?

"Do you realize I could have died because of this?" Blue accused, knowing that it was mostly his fault for being so careless, but it felt nice to finally have someone to blame for his recent failure.

"I tried to catch you, but you just kept walking!" Lute said defiantly, establishing some defense for himself. "Look, I'm really sorry, but I got it back to you, didn't I?" He allowed himself to take a breath as it seemed Blue's anger was fading.

"I suppose…" Blue trailed off, suddenly feeling childish for getting so worked up. That all changed as he noticed something of grave importance. "You've cracked it!"

Lute winced at the sound of indignation and disbelief in the man's voice. He knew this had been coming, but it still didn't make it any easier. "Sorry. It was a life or death situation and I had no other weapons!"

"You moron, do you have any idea how valuable this blade is? I doubt you'd even know how to channel it's power properly, which is how you managed to crack the normally indestructible…" Blue trailed off as a wicked plan began to form in his head. He was still angry about his possession being destroyed, but he had to keep his eye on the prize. The longer he sat here arguing was time that could be better spent retrieving the Grail Card.

However, there was still a small problem. As much as he loathed the idea, he couldn't very well repeat his last mistake of going to the swamp by himself. He was going to have to…_make friends_. His lip curled in disgust at the thought of what a hassle that would be. Luckily his brilliant mind had worked out exactly how to twist this situation to his advantage, and he looked back towards the practically gift-wrapped 'friend' that was attempting to run for his life.

"Where do you think you're going?" Blue snapped. It seemed that Lute and Mei-ling had taken his distracted silence as a chance to escape, but they froze in their tracks at the sound of his voice. Blue crossed his arms calmly now that he had their attention. "I hope you have the money to pay for this."

Lute's mouth opened and closed, stunned and at a loss for words as he did a rather accurate impression of a fish. Blue fought hard not to laugh at the ridiculous expression. "Uh, I…no, I don't think I do," Lute managed to squeak out.

"I didn't think so. This dagger is practically priceless, anyway. Forged from magical and rare materials, it's been passed down through my family for nearly ten generations, you know," Blue said casually, absently flicking some dirt out from under one of his nails. Lute went to speak again but Blue saved him from more embarrassing stammering as he cut him off. "Of course the only way you could ever begin to pay me back would be by working it off. I have a long journey ahead of me, it should give you plenty of time."

"What? You mean you want me to travel with you?" Lute sounded as though the idea was absurd to him, but there was some relief mixed in there. He was half expecting the magician to kill him if he didn't get out of there fast enough.

"That's the general idea," Blue said dryly. It was going to take a lot of patience putting up with this kid's slow mind. "I think it's more than fair."

"Well, yeah but…I don't know," Lute trailed off, looking over at Mei-ling guiltily.

"Oh, don't tell me you have something better to do."

"As a matter of fact, he does," Mei-ling finally spoke, placing her hands on her hips in a huff. "He's already made prior obligations," she said sternly and Lute gazed at her in appreciation. He'd never imagined she'd be sticking up for him but apparently her favorable opinion of Blue had sagged in the last few minutes.

"Does he owe you an enormous amount of money, too?" Blue snorted in amusement at the woman. "Sorry, but the yokel comes with me."

Mei-ling looked she was about to counter until Lute put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. You know I'd like to stay with you guys, but I have to do this; I owe him." He cursed his uncanny sense of integrity as he watched her expression go from angry to disappointed.

"But, Riki—

"Will be fine without me. Especially with your talent," he said, trying to cheer her up. It seemed to work.

"All right, but I don't trust this guy," she explained, paying no mind at insulting the man right to his face. Blue seemed unfazed as well and continued to watch the exchange with feigned disinterest.

"Don't worry. He's not so bad," Lute didn't see the shocked expression on Blue's face, since he had his back turned. Without any further complications, the three of them went upstairs to join the rest of Riki's group.

* * *

"I still can't believe you've gotten yourself into this. You realize he's basically making you an indentured servant?" Gen shot the magician a fiery look. Blue backed away just a bit and Lute smiled nervously. The drunk could be really scary when he wanted to be.

"It's not really a big deal. I'll catch up with you all after it's over. Don't you go saving Margmel without me!"

"Yeah, yeah, come here a second…" Gen pulled Lute away from the group and began speaking in hushed tones. "I'm not going to be there to protect your scrawny ass anymore, so make sure you're careful. And if that guy," he spared a moment to send Blue another nasty look, "tries anything weird, you use this on 'em. Got it?" He passed Lute one of his trusty swords and the musician accepted it slowly, looking shocked. Normally Gen would always carry two blades with him but he was damn good enough that one should suffice for now.

"Gen, I really can't take this," Lute whispered, feeling embarrassed and flattered.

"Quit trying to act so selfless. Shut up and take it before I change my mind," Gen glowered. He wasn't used to giving gifts and the kid was just making it more difficult. Lute nodded obediently and accepted the offer without further complaint.

The rest of them said their goodbyes and Lute wistfully watched them head for the port. He had grown attached to the lot of them, but now here he was, stuck with a somewhat moody magician, and he had no idea what dangers might await him. He wondered once again how he managed to get himself in these sorts of impossible situations

Blue began walking without another word and Lute began to follow him at a distance. He figured his life was going to consist of following the magician around like a lost puppy now, so he might as well get used to it. After a few minutes of silently walking down the dirt roads of Yorkland, they stopped. They were once again at the crossroads of the town, the very same place they had first laid eyes on each other.

"We're going to the swamp?" Lute asked.

"Yes. I didn't manage to obtain the card last time."

"Yeah, well I tried to tell you not to go alone. It's a very dang—

"You'd be wise not to finish that sentence," Blue snapped. He was well aware of how foolish he had been last time; he didn't need Lute rubbing it in.

Lute shut his mouth hastily and went back to staring at his feet like a rebuked child. Blue sighed, knowing he was being a bit harsh, and he was actually going to apologize before the ground began to shake around them. Something that sounded like thunder was quickly growing stronger and Blue's body went rigid as he attempted to find the source of the uproar. He braced himself for an attack and turned to tell Lute to do the same but was greeted by a very peculiar sight instead.

"Luuuute!" something that looked almost human shouted gleefully. The beast was about 9 feet tall, covered in red fur, and had seized Lute immediately, crushing him to his chest in something that resembled a bear hug. Blue wasn't sure whether he should be fighting the thing off or not, since his newly acquired companion seemed to be…laughing?

"Thunder, relax, you're going to kill me," Lute managed, even though the breath was being squeezed from his lungs. The ogre set him down gently, looking about as sheepish as a giant could get.

"Big bro, I thought you had left town!" the monster bellowed, and Blue stayed glued to the spot, still not sure what kind of reaction he should be having.

"Big…bro?" he asked as he sized up the both of them skeptically. Obviously some grave miscalculation had occurred here.

"What's the matter, you don't see the resemblance?" Lute smiled at his bewildered companion, and so did his ogre friend. It seemed like this was a favorite joke of theirs. The bard enjoyed the look of astonishment on Blue's face for a few more moments before he decided to fill the poor guy in. "Blue, this is Thunder. He was sort of adopted into my family years ago and we grew up together."

"Thunder?" Blue quirked an eyebrow; it was a fitting name. "Nice to meet you," he said politely, figuring that being nice to a creature of that size was best suited to his bodily welfare.

The ogre didn't pay much attention and instead fixed eager eyes back on his brother. "So? Are you coming back home already?"

"No, I'm sorry," Lute said apathetically as he watched Thunder's face fall. "Blue and I are just passing though."

"Oh," Thunder looked heartbroken. It was an almost comical sight, since the expression seemed so misplaced on the menacing looking giant, but Blue wisely decided not to laugh. "Why don't I come with you?"

"Hey, that's a great idea! But…" Lute trailed off and glanced cautiously at his leader. He didn't think Blue would approve of it at all but was surprised when the magician nodded his head a little too eagerly.

"Yes! Brilliant!" Blue agreed. Years of the best education money can buy had served him well. He was able to recognize the fact that having a giant killing machine on his side was assuredly better than not. "Well…off to the swamp, then?" He faked an extraordinary smile and the other two cheered as they set off.

* * *

"Well…that's one way to do things," Blue admitted as he watched Thunder tear though the swamp easily, crushing anything that was unfortunate enough to get in his way.

"I told you he'd be useful," Lute smiled and watched the violent display with the kind of pride any older brother would have.

"Indeed." Blue continued to stare in awe as Thunder sent a few foes flying clear through air. With all the commotion, a few monsters were wise enough to run away with their tails between their legs. Blue narrowed his eyes as he spotted a familiar Kraken making a run for it. That's right, he thought, save you skin because you're mine. He nodded smugly and mentally added the Kraken to his list of 'Things That Would Die a Horrible and Preferably Painful Death' once he became a master magician.

Despite Thunder's strength, the trip through the swamp was still a long one. The footing was poor so they had to move carefully and a man-eating plant or two had also attempted to slow their progress. Although Blue could see an out-line of the shrine through the haze, it was hard to get to since most of the ground was liquefied.

To pass the time and put and end to Lute's stupid persistent questions, Blue had reluctantly informed him of his mission from the Magic Kingdom and why he must now master as much magic as possible.

"So…" Lute paused as he hacked away some offending plant life from their path, "you're telling me you actually have to _kill_ Rouge? Who is your twin brother?"

"Yes." This was the first time he had repeated his mission to anyone, and saying it out loud didn't made it sound any less insane, much to his disappointment. Lute was several yards ahead of him, but Blue could still make out the man's grave expression.

"That's…that's just horrible," Lute whispered, not knowing what else to say. He now felt much more sympathetic towards Blue after hearing his whole story. It was no wonder he could be such a jerk. Anyone would be if they had that kind of weight on their shoulders.

"I know," Blue said simply. He had to turn away from Lute because the man's obvious distress was exactly what Blue knew _he_ should be feeling but couldn't allow himself to. He had originally accepted his mission with a feeling of honor; it wouldn't do to go second-guessing it now. Someone had to be strong enough to protect the Kingdom, even if that meant being strong enough to kill their own twin. The extremeness of his task only reflected how extreme the need was for that protection. His people needed him.

Blue didn't want to talk about it anymore and was grateful for the fact that Lute seemed to sense that. They continued through the swamp in silence, only occasionally interrupted by an angry growl or roar from Thunder.

Finally, they were able to cut a clear path to the Liquor Shrine. Blue's pulse raced as he anticipated what waited inside for him. His previously wounded confidence was repairing nicely as he briskly made his way up the path.

"Come on," he urged the other two and together they stepped into the shrine. There wasn't anything really interesting about the place and Lute was almost disappointed. It wasn't at all like all the tall tales he had grown up hearing. The stone building was small and crudely constructed and the only things that stood in it were four small cup statues and a platform towards the back.

Blue walked past the two of them without a word and approached the platform. He placed one of the blank cards he had received in Devin on it and stared down at it expectantly. For a while nothing appeared to happen and Blue was about to kick the damn thing to give it a start before he heard Lute gasp.

He turned around sharply to see what the other two staring at. The large image of an Arcane Card twirled over their heads before fading out of sight with a flare of sparkles. Both Thunder and Lute looked amazed and Blue turned back to the platform to see his blank card now had the image of a grail burned into it.

The card was still warm as he picked it up and just stared at it for a few moments. Excitement filled him as he realized he was now one step closer to fulfilling his goal. He turned towards his companions and would have high-fived them if that sort of thing weren't so below him.

"We did it!" Lute said warmly. "Well, aren't you going to try it out?" Blue smirked at his apparent enthusiasm. Well, he supposed showing these underprivileged country folk a trick or two wouldn't hurt. Blue held up the card and summoned the magic from it.

Once the spell was cast Blue had to close his eyes as what felt like cool water rushed over him. The sweat and grime that had accumulated through their swamp hike was washed away as the soothing waters licked at and invigorated his skin. He opened his eyes again feeling instantly revitalized, and, for no apparent reason, uncannily content and happy.

"Wow," Lute breathed out as the spell ended, feeling the same sense of refreshment. His fingers and toes still tingled pleasurably from the experience. Even Thunder, who had been worked up into a ball a fury from all the fighting, looked suddenly relaxed and calm. "That's some amazing magic. I might actually grow to like this stuff," he smiled lazily and looked at Blue with some admiration and the magician tried not to look too pleased.


	6. Belly of the Beast

A/N: Hey, sorry for the delay. Not much to say here. I went back and corrected some things in the last few chapters, but I probably didn't get it all. I usually use a beta reader, so I'm hopeless! Anyway, this chapter is also long. Geez, 6 chapters already and Blue still has three more cards to go plus Light and Time magic (durr, I'm spoiling my own story) this thing is going to be epic!

* * *

"But, you can't leave me here, you j-just, c-cant!" Blue had his back turned but it was hard to ignore the argument going on behind him.

"Thunder, just listen to me—ugh, don't cry! This is hard enough."

"I can help! I know I can! Wasn't I great back there?"

"Yeah! Yeah, of course you were. Believe me, there's nothing I'd like better than to take you along, but someone has to look after Ma!" Lute's soft voice was a bit muffled by the loud snorts and sniffs coming from the monster beside him.

"I know…I'm sorry, you're right. I promised to," it sounded like the beast had stopped crying and Blue dared to look over his shoulder. The brothers were sharing another hug and Lute was almost completely hidden underneath Thunder's massive arms.

"Thanks. Cheer up, okay?" Lute pulled away from the embrace and stood on his toes in order to ruffle Thunder's hair affectionately. Blue was really trying to give them some privacy, but it was hard to tune out the very loud and unique sound of a distraught ogre.

They said their goodbyes and Thunder trudged back up the hill towards the great windmill. Inwardly, Blue was just a bit disappointed considering how useful Thunder had been, but decided that Lute was probably making the right choice. Have a giant beast at his disposal was definitely handy but it would likely draw a lot of attention, and that was something Blue didn't want.

"That was a bit…awkward," Blue said to Lute now that they were alone.

"Sorry, Thunder can get very emotional. That's one of the reasons why I don't want him getting involved," Lute said, sounding much more mature than usual. "Anyway, he's still just a kid. Thirteen, y'know, and—

"Thirteen?" Blue screeched with a voice that was a lot higher than he would have hoped. "You mean to tell me he's not even done _growing_ yet?"

"Well, yeah, what did you expect? He's actually pretty small by monster standards. Anyway, I think puberty has made him even more unpredictable; it's for the best that he stays here." Blue shook his head in amazement and then pulled something out of his robes.

"Hey, what's that?" Lute asked as Blue unfolded something that looked like a plain piece of paper. It was his turn to be shocked as a three dimensional map popped out of the thing.

"Region Map, it's the only way to travel," Blue explained and began prodding the sphere-shaped map with his finger. The map shifted and rotated the assortment of regions that were represented as Blue tried to find the one he was looking for.

"Where are we going?" Lute asked as he watched the unusual map with interest and maybe a little trepidation.

"Wakatu," and as he spoke it, the little marble sized region conveniently labeled 'Wakatu' shifted to the front of the map.

"Wakatu? But we can't go there! It's been destroyed, and I hear there's nothing but ghosts there now!" Lute shuddered but Blue ignored his protests and jabbed his finger at the map again.

"Don't be stupid. There's no such thing as ghosts," Blue growled in frustration and poked at 'Wakatu' again. Usually it only took a gentle prod for the portal to open, but this region was being particularly difficult. "Come on, damn you, I said—oof!" Blue was flung backward a few feet to the ground as the Region Map disappeared with an angry 'pop'. The plain piece of paper fluttered to the ground innocently and Blue stared at it dumbly.

"Maybe it doesn't like be sworn at?" Lute guessed. For being such an idiot, he sure had this annoying habit of being right all the damned time.

"I don't get it, this has never happened before!" Blue glowered from his spot on the ground. This was the second time he had found himself on his ass since he'd arrived in Yorkland, and he was beginning to think he should just at the whole town to 'The List' and save himself a lot of trouble.

"All right there?" Blue felt a pair of hands yank him up before he could protest the manhandling. "Maybe we should just head to the port, a flight should be leaving soon." Blue turned his head to glare and Lute realized he still had his hands underneath the magician's arms. He pulled away belatedly and then pointedly found an interesting cloud to study.

* * *

The Yorkland ship was always crowded; after all, it was the only transport that made regular stops to the town. After a variety of colorful threats, Blue managed to secure two seats on the vessel and they strapped in for a jerky launch.

After everyone had settled their stomachs and managed to climb out of their neighbor's lap or the floor, the flight progressed more smoothly. Blue reminded himself for the thousandth time how he hated non-magical travel. How anyone else put up with it, he didn't know. And that wasn't even counting the closet sized stink-hole they called a bathroom.

Lute didn't notice his companion's decidedly green completion and instead pulled out a now well-used journal. It had been awhile since it had been updated, so he still needed to detail his recent adventures with Riki, as well as his new enslavement—for lack of a better word—to Blue.

"A 'duel of destiny'?" Blue snorted and Lute jumped as he realized Blue had been reading over his shoulder.

"Hey! These are my private thoughts!" Lute shouted and clutched the book to his chest.

"Well, your private thoughts better stop making my life sound like a soap opera. What are you doing with a diary, anyway?"

"It's a journal! And I enjoy writing."

"What a waste of time," Blue scoffed and Lute tucked the journal away. He enjoyed a few more minutes of silence before Lute began plucking the strings of that gaudy instrument he carried around. "What are you doing?"

"Out of tune," Lute said distractedly and plucked a few more experimental notes. The horrible twangs began to slowly sound more melodious as Lute's keen ear separated the sour notes from the correct ones. A few moments later he was able to strum a few lovely chords.

"That's the hardest I've ever seen you think. Did it hurt?" Blue teased but Lute ignored him.

"Still haven't figured out a decent chorus for this one, it's really annoying." The upbeat tune was disconnected in places where Lute kept changing his mind, but it wasn't wholly unpleasant. Blue allowed it for a few minutes before he realized people were beginning to stare.

"Knock it off."

"No. I think I'm on to something," the music sped up a bit and it was catchy. One of the passengers seemed to be enjoying it and dropped a few credits on his way to the bathroom—the poor soul. "Hey, cool!" Lute stopped so he could pick up the cash, not at all insulted by the fact that the guy who gave the charity probably thought he was a beggar.

"I'll take that." Blue enjoyed the affronted look on the musician's face as he tucked the cash away. "You're working for me now, remember? Of course, these measly credits hardly make a dent in your massive debt to me, but at least it's a start."

"Right, how could I forget," Lute said glumly. "So, what's the next plan of action, oh mighty leader?"

"We'll land in Koorang and see if there's a ship going to Wakatu. If not, we'll just have to save it for last, I suppose."

Just then the ship lurched unpleasantly and the lights flickered. A male voice emitted from the intercom. "Passengers, we are experiencing some turbulence. Please remain calm and—holy shit what is that thing?! It's getting closer!" The intercom crackled and there was the muffled sound of shouting.

People were thrown from their seats as the ship shuttered and shook, and the cabin was now completely dark. Screams and horrible sounds of the ship creaking and breaking around them pierced the air and Blue clutched at his seat desperately. There was a final, forceful crash as the out of control ship came to an abrupt halt, finally losing it's battle against gravity and whatever the 'thing' was that had shaken it off course.

The crash sounded and felt a lot worse than it actually had been. The passengers were being lead out of the ship by direction of the captain. The ship was still in one piece but obviously not operational, and most of it's passengers were not seriously injured.

"Lucky to be alive, really," Lute mumbled as he and Blue followed the line out. The rest of the passengers formed a group outside the crash site, taking in their surrounding with general confusion. The ground, plant life, everything seemed to be swelling and contracting subtly around them. They appeared to be in some sort of strange jungle. Blue thought it was very much like being back in the swamp. It was almost unbearably hot, humid, and the _stench_—it made the moldy smell of the swamp seem like a flowery spring garden in comparison.

"Everyone please remain calm. Our technicians are working on repairing the radio and we'll send a distress signal then."

"Where are we?"

"How long until the radio is repaired?"

"Is there a doctor aboard? I think my wife has a broken arm!" The various frightened complaints and questions fizzled out as a group of strangers appeared on a near-by cliff.

"You are in the belly of Tanzer," informed a cool, female voice. A few people gasped and Lute turned to Blue.

"No way! I thought that was just a story people told to scare kids!" Blue nodded in agreement. He had heard the stories too, about a massive monster that floated between regions, surviving only on devouring ships whole.

The mysterious woman jumped down from her platform, aided by a few unsavory looking men who appeared to be her lackeys. The woman was busty, blonde and attractive if you could ignore the treacherous smile spread across her red lips. "You're in for a long stay. However, I'd be willing to make it more comfortable if any of you have some decent loot," the passengers eyed her warily as she spoke. The hesitation did not please her and the falsely polite tone quickly turned vicious. "Go on then! Bring your luggage forward, you're only making this more difficult!"

"Stop!" The group of people turned their heads away from the woman as another figure appeared from the shadows. It was almost like watching some bizarre play. "Don't go with that woman. She's the infamous crime-boss Nomad!" he declared, and as if on cue, the audience gasped again, startled by this new information.

"Intruding on my territory again Fei-on? Honestly, can't you put that muscle head of yours to better use and stop making up vicious lies about me?" the woman snapped. Fei-on ignored the woman and her thugs hissed threats as he approached the shipwrecked group.

"You're all welcome to follow me. I can't supply much food and water, but you can take shelter with the rest of the villagers in the south."

"Ha! What a weak offer," the devious woman scoffed. "Fine then, you can go with this fool or come with me, your choice." The woman disappeared but none of the passengers followed. Her nasty attitude didn't make the choice too difficult.

"Here we are. Everyone make yourselves comfortable," Fei-on said and sauntered off. The makeshift village was full of the same bulging veins and pulsing organs as the rest of the place, but at least it gave them some stability. The group mingled in with the rest of the weary looking inhabitants, except Blue who followed Fei-on.

"Can I help you?" the nearly bald man asked as he realized Blue was tailing him.

"You appear to be in charge here. Could I have a word?" Blue asked and Fei-on nodded.

" Step inside my office," Fei-on disappeared into a pulsing hole buried under a flap of skin. Blue and Lute exchanged looks. 'Wow that's disgusting' and 'he calls that an office?' didn't need to be spoken. They were both thinking it and were for once in total, though silent, agreement.

Inside, they were greeted by a surprise. Said surprise had chosen to launch it's furry self at Lute, and the musician was currently attempted to get to his feet with Riki latched around his middle.

"So we meet again," Blue said blandly, eyes straying from Gen, who was standing with that weird robot, and then to Mei-ling who was trying to calm Riki down. He was not at all happy about seeing the familiar faces, rather, he was starting to wonder if the embarrassing group had began stalking him.

"Lute! You're alive! Mei-ling said that guy was evil and albino looking and was probably going kill you or something!" Riki shouted loudly and ignored Mei-ling, who was trying to stop him and looking uncomfortable about doing so.

"Ahem," Blue cleared his throat and the little monster yelped as he realized the creepy man Mei-ling had told him about was now in the same room. "Fei-on, I believe I requested a word with you?"

"Yes, and as you can see, I'm a bit busy. I promised Mei-ling I would take them into the depths of Tanzer. You can wait here, if you want, until I get back."

"Mei-ling said there is supposed to be a ring here!" Riki explained happily. "But baldy wants us to help get rid of that wicked old lady who lives here, too. Hey, Mister Evil Magician, you want to come too?"

"I'm not interested in rings or fighting petty criminals," Blue sneered at Riki and then faced Fei-on again. "Just tell me how to get out of this vile place and I'll leave you to your duties."

Fei-on, who previously had appeared to be the strong silent time, actually laughed at this, which Blue did not appreciate. "A way out? Don't you think if I knew that we wouldn't be having this conversation right now?"

"Forgive me for overestimating your intelligence," Blue rolled his eyes. "I would think, considering we are inside of a massive beast and presumably somewhere in it's digestive system, that the proper route of exit would be obvious," even as Blue said it, he felt a little sick considering it, but what choice did he have? "I was only hoping you might be able to point me in the direction of the lower intestine."

Lute made a face at what Blue was implying but Fei-on shook his head. "I think you'll find it's impossible, much too—er—messy. No one's been able to navigate their way through properly. Besides, what were you planning to do after you got out? You're going to need a ship otherwise you'll have nowhere to go. Tanzer doesn't make land anywhere, he wanders the void."

Damn, Blue had forgotten about that part. They would have to wait until the ship was repaired if they any chance of getting out of here. And it was no use tying to use the Region Map now, that thing was still mad at him.

"If you'll excuse us, I think we'll be off," Mei-ling cut in, sounding annoyed and the group obediently began to follow her out of the hole.

"Wait, we'll come with you," Blue said and Fei-on halted, looking surprised. "I mean, it's not like I have anything better to do at the moment…I can help." Mei-ling narrowed her eyes and it was obvious the last thing she wanted was the snotty magician's help, but Fei-on nodded.

"Thank you. We'll be making our way to Nomad's lair. She has captured a few of the villagers. She has many followers, so I need as much help as I can get." Blue shrugged as Fei-on rambled on, looking unconcerned and bored. Lute, on the other hand, was thrilled and used the time to catch up with his old friends.

They set off with Fei-on leading the way. He had obviously been trapped inside Tanzer for a long time because he could navigate the throbbing, slippery caverns of their flesh terrain with ease.

They encountered a few interesting monsters ("Tanzer's immune system?" Mei-ling suggested when they all wondered where the monsters had come from) but nothing that was too hard to handle. Gen's impeccable swordsmanship along with Blue's advanced magic had dispatched most of them before the rest of the group could get a chance. Riki was having a grand old time feasting on their remains to gather strength (Blue shuddered as he watched these displays. Were all monsters cannibals?) and Lute took the chance to practice some amateurish sword attacks and finish off the ones that were still moving.

"Hey Lute, how is the cross-dresser treating you?" Gen asked once they were alone.

"Gen, I think those are robes he's wearing, not a dress," Lute defended but still couldn't keep from smiling. "Anyway, he's not that bad."

"He sounds like a pompous ass to me," Gen shrugged.

"Yeah, well, he's got a lot on his mind…" Lute trailed off as he recalled Blue's horrific mission. The knowledge of it was enough for him to forgive Blue whenever he got especially nasty, but he wasn't about to share those details with Gen. It wasn't his place to go blabbing about Blue's business. "He's, um, under a lot of pressure."

"That's not much of an excuse," Gen said gruffly and took a swig from his hip flask. "At least he's good in a fight, though," Gen remarked thoughtfully.

"Oh, yeah. You should see some of the other stuff he can do. He's got this cool magic map and—er, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Sorry!" Gen laughed around the lip of his flask. "Sorry. It's just, it almost sounds like you have a crush or something!"

"A WHAT?" Lute flinched and then looked around to make sure no one noticed his outburst. He started again in a whisper, "I do not. Are you nuts?"

"I know, I know. Just kiddin' with ya, shit," Gen said but it didn't ease Lute's mind. What kind of joke was that to make? Everyone knew that Lute preferred woman, he was typically very vocal about it whenever he happened to see one that caught his eye. And so what if Blue was kind of pretty? Lute was sure he wasn't the only one who thought so. Anyone could see that the magician was strangely feminine. It was probably some sort of weird Magic Kingdom thing.

"I'm not gay, you know," Lute whispered, and to prove a point, he searched around for the nearest set of breasts. Ah, that was better. His eyes rested on the comforting rise and fall of Mei-ling's ample bosom. She was walking several yards behind them, engaged in a heated argument with Fei-on, and her brisk stride had the pleasant side effect of making things bounce nicely.

"I never said you were. Blue might be, though. That's what Mei-ling thinks." Lute snorted at that.

"She probably only thinks that because he turned her down for a date," he and Gen shared a laugh at this and then few sips of gin. Ahead of them, Blue and Riki were also chatting amiably.

"We're both on a mission to save our homeland!" Riki exclaimed and held up his long fingers. On three of them sat rings, all identical in design but glimmering with different colored jewels. "I've already found three rings, and I've learned all about garbage and bad people! How about you, Blue?"

"Oh, I, um…still have quite a ways to go," Blue said distractedly as Riki waved a hand in his face. It was hard to get a good look at the rings when the monster was bouncing up and down like that. "I've heard many legends about the rings before, but I've never seen proof. Amazing."

"Thanks!" Blue nodded, a vague smile on his face. He let Riki scamper ahead of him and then approached Lute and Gen, who were still talking in hushed tones.

"Lute," Blue started but had to pause long enough to cast a quick Energy Chain. The hapless monster that had been sneaking up behind the two swordsmen shrieked and fizzled into nothingness. Lute's eyes widened and he managed an embarrassed thanks. Gen took another swig of gin. "Don't worry about it. Lute, can I…have a word with you?"

"Oh, yeah, of course," Lute said, eyeing Blue carefully. It wasn't often he was so polite, so must be something important. Gen gave a knowing smile, which Lute promptly ignored, and left the two alone.

"Riki is really serious about the rings," Blue started.

"Well, yeah. It's the only way to save Margmel."

"I guess it would have to be a last resort, then," Blue trailed off, a strange emotion on his face that Lute had never seen him use before. It almost looked like concern.

"What are you going on about? Blue, you're acting strange."

"It's just that…I didn't think they still existed."

"I was pretty surprised, too. But his elder gave him one, and I've even seen him use them before so—

"Yes, I know they're genuine," Blue snapped. Lute didn't get what he was trying to say. "You don't understand, but that's only to be expected. An ancient monster tribe forged the rings, so most humans don't have much knowledge about them. However, there is one story very well known and very much feared by the Magic Kingdom." Blue stopped walking and so did Lute. The seriousness of the magician's tone kept him waiting with baited breath.

"Go on," Lute whispered. The others were far ahead of them now. They were going to get separated if they weren't careful, but this seemed important.

"The rings are capable of great things, but they are also hard to control. Centuries ago, a woman gathered all of them together and came to the Magic Kingdom. That is where she joined them together and made a wish. She wished for heaven, but instead opened the gates of hell, and Magic Kingdom was almost completely destroyed." He paused to take a deep breath. This was a familiar story that he had grown up hearing, a story that struck fear and paranoia in the hearts off all his fellow children. A story that made sure each and every one of them knew their place. He really didn't like it.

"Since then every generation has produced a 'Master Magician'. Someone who could protect the kingdom should we be threatened like this again."

Lute was quiet for a long time. He expected Blue to go on, or maybe laugh at him and tell him it was all a joke, but neither happened. He just stood still with that deep, concentrated look on his face.

"So…that explains why outsiders are mistrusted so much there," Lute reasoned.

"Yes, and women. Since the catastrophe, only the men in our region are born with the gift for magic. It's the Goddess's divine punishment against all women for being insatiable. Ironic, huh?"

"Are you…going to tell Riki about this?" Lute asked, he couldn't figure out why Blue hadn't already. If the rings were dangerous then Riki should know.

"They're Margmel's last hope, right? Would you want to be the one to tell Riki that they're actually evil?" The aforementioned monster was very far ahead of them now. Lute could see him swatting away at some blurred enemy with his tail, looking like he was having more fun than anyone should ever be able to have in a giant's stomach.

"No…I don't think I would," Lute decided.


End file.
